The #torontoscope project is a new creative endeavor of mine. It was recently featured on ModTO.com and so I think I should give it a formal explanation on here too. As we all know, I have a passion for the city of Toronto. The sites, the sounds, the people, it just amazes me every day. Inevitably, when ever I have a camera in my hands I find myself shooting endless images of seemingly trivial subjects, to the point where I often take the exact same picture on completely different days. Motivated by a desire to find a new perspective for the visuals that I encounter every day, I stumbled upon the ‘Torontoscope’. The name comes from a combination of Toronto and kaleidoscope, and I make these entirely on an iPhone 4s. The process is: find a subject, shoot it at an interesting angle, crop it and mirror it using the app FrameMagic and then post it on Instagram. Its a fairly simple process but it has lead me to some new visuals and helped me discover a new appreciation of the sites in this city which I already loved so much. If you’re on Instagram check me out @ SoTeeOh and if you feel inspired I invite you to try making some torontoscopes of your own. Just tag them ‘#torontoscope’ so I can check it out. You can also check out an up to date gallery of all my Torontoscopes here. I post AT LEAST once a day (but usually 2 or 3 times).

What can I say. Every time me and the homie Hardbody link up its a positive experience. This video took me a while to complete because I really wanted to capture the energy that he brings with his music and the connection that he is building with his fan base. Most of the footage in this video was shot on stage at two February performances, one opening for Juicy J at the Opera House in Toronto, and the other a sold out solo show in Barrie. There were people in the front row going nuts that knew every word to his songs which really amazed me since this is still after all “underground rap”. But ultimately, he puts a lot of passion and energy into the music that he makes and I think at the end of the day people just respect that, flat out. Expect a lot more Hardbody x SoTeeOh collaborations in the months to come.

Here is the new video I directed for Toronto-based rapper BriskInTheHouse. BriskInTheHouse is part of a collective of young MC’s known as the Baker’s Club. These guys are young but extremely talented and are doing some amazing things for the music scene in this city right now so I feel fortunate that I got the opportunity to get involved with the movement. This was a special project for me because I really believe in the message of this song. Besides being a rapper Brisk also teaches youth about Afrocentric history. In the song Darkness he found a way to take that message, but put it in a way that sounds dope. That’s a very special talent and as soon as I heard the lyrics (he spit it to me over the phone before I actually heard the song) I knew I needed to make a video with a concept that could match the message in the music. The concept is fairly simple. Brisk wears a balaclava and a black hoodie in the video. This represents the negative perception that is often associated with young black men (see: Trayvon Martin). But within that negative image are flashes of images that represent black pride and African history. In the end Brisk removes the hoodie and mask to reveal a young black man dressed in “appropriate” clothing. With this I was trying to show that we can’t judge black youth by the clothes they wear or the way they talk. Brisk is the perfect example of this. He’s a rapper and a young black man so he faces his fare share of prejudice but at the same time he is a role model and a teacher and a very knowledgeable person as you can see from the lyrics of this song. Its all one package, but there’s a lot more to a person than what you see on the surface. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t judge a book by it’s cover… and you should fux with Brisk and the Baker’s Club.

@BriskInTheHouse

Baker’s Club Official Site

This is a new video I shot for Toronto artist Elcee. He is part of a dope collective called Illmanic which is a collective of young artists with members in Toronto, Utah and New York. My concept with this video was just to provide subtle visuals that would give people that down town feel with out being too in your face, hence the graffiti theme. Most of the footage was shot in the back alleys along Queen St. West. Definitely look out for more work from Illmanic and get in touch with Elcee on twitter: @Elceetheartist.

Can’t thank my homie Owen Captures enough for making this happen. Its a little weird being in front of the lens, usually I’m on the other side but I really like how this turned out. I’ll post the artwork from this session soon.

This February I filmed two live performances with Hardbody, on February 3rd opening for Juicy J @ Opera House and on February 19th in Barrie @ Mansion Night Club. I had a lot of fun, Hardbody brings a ton of energy when he performs. I have a lot more footage so more clips to come shortly. #artlife

This is the new video I shot for Hardbody. Hardbody is a rising figure in the T-Dot music scene and I’ve been fortunate to work with him on a few projects now. His work ethic is amazing and his punch lines are hilarious. You can grab his latest mixtape here, don’t sleep. I also have to give a huge shoutout to my dude Mr. Owen Captures for helping with the filming of this project. All those smooth pans were his work. I’m definitely looking forward to doing more work with him in the future……there’s a lot of talented people in this city #SoTO #artlife

Images from Tommy Thompson Park (the Leslie Spit). One of my favourite places to spend a Sunday afternoon in Toronto. Shot December 18th, 2011.